Business Services
Southwest Regional Education Cooperative recognizes that its primary function is to assist member districts in providing the best education possible within the limits of the established programs and financial ability of the district and the SWREC. As a trustee of funds allocated for the use of local public education, SWREC recognizes its deep responsibility for the efficient use of those funds. We desire to:
- encourage advance planning through sound budgeting practices;
- explore practical and legal sources of income;
- guide the expenditures of funds in order to achieve acceptable education returns; and
- require efficiency in accounting and reporting procedures.
Fiscal Management
Southwest REC provides fiscal agency and business management services for our member districts. As a fiscal agent, we are responsible for the grant monies that come into your district, for their proper accounting and management, and for the disbursement of federal funds used in operational expenses for programs like special education and technology upgrades. We must:
- maintain records of disbursements;
- keep receipts for three years;
- make financial records available to the NEA; and
- disburse funds in accordance with the purpose of the grant only to the grantee.
Medicaid Billing
The Southwest REC provides data entry and processing of Medicaid billing for Region 10 (Animas, Cobre, Deming, Hatch Valley, Lordsburg, Reserve, Silver, and Truth or Consequences). This service encompasses direct service logs and administrative time studies.
Requests for Proposals and Bids
Occasionally, SWREC or our member districts require bids for routine and special maintenance, purchases, and/or installation projects. If you are a current or prospective vendor, feel free to review any open proposals or bids and follow the document’s instructions if you are interested in submitting a proposal.
- No open RFP’s at this time
Procurement
- None at this time.
Business Services Staff
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Reyes EricaErica Reyes Finance Director Send message »
Erica was born in Phoenix, Arizona, but she has lived in Deming, New Mexico, all her life. She started as a vocational transition specialist who, after being in the banking business for ten years, plunged into this new career on August 1, 2017. Erica has earned a bachelor's degree in general business and a master's in business administration, both from Western New Mexico University. As of January 3, 2018, she is the SWREC operations manager.
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Smyer KaLeeKaLee Smyer HR Director Send message »KaLee was born and raised in New Mexico. KaLee graduated from New Mexico State University with a bachelor’s degree in 2019. During her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, kids, and family. KaLee joined the SWREC team in April 2021 and took on the role of HR Director in 2022.
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Hester TerranceTerrance Hester Business Services Specialist Send message »Terrance is a New Mexico native and has lived here his entire life. He was born and raised in Alamogordo and attended college at both UNM and NMSU. He graduated from New Mexico State University in May of 2011 with his bachelor's in business administration, specializing in finance with minors in banking and risk management and insurance. Terrance came to our team after spending 10 years in the federal sector working for the USPS management team. In April of 2021, Terrance joined the SWREC team and is motivated to work with his school teams and the Business Services Department.
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Pastran LisaLisa Pastran Business Services Specialist and Medicaid Support Send message »
Lisa Pastran has lived in New Mexico for 50 years. She comes from a military family with many family members being career military. She joined the Southwest Regional Education Cooperative in March of 2013. She came from a lengthy 28-year career in Banking and Finance where she worked her way to becoming a bank officer. During that time, she worked across most departments and considered her co-workers family. In her 12+ years with the SWREC she has also worked across many positions such as events coordinator and office management and Medicaid support. At present she holds the position of Business Services Specialist which puts her back in her niche and a role she enjoys with her love for numbers where her passion has been for most of her working career. In her time away from work she enjoys church, time with family and has been known to win a Chile cooking contest or two. She also has a love for writing and hopes to publish a book once she decides to put away her calculator for good.
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Verduzco LaurenLauren Verduzco IGA Coordinator & Chief Procurement Officer Send message »Lauren is a New Mexico native who has been residing in Deming most of her life. Lauren is currently pursuing a business degree from WNMU with an emphasis in finance and management. For the past seven years, Lauren has worked at and managed two local non-profits. These non-profits aimed to address domestic violence and our homeless population in Luna County. The business and grant portion of her work helped to ignite her passion for business services and, particularly, finances. Lauren joined the SWREC team on contract in August 2020, managing a grant for daycares throughout the state of NM, and she became a full-time business services specialist in June 2021. Lauren is married with two children and has a growing farm outside of town.
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Cabrera TinaTina Cabrera Medicaid Clerk Send message »Tina started working every summer at a meat company in New Jersey where her siblings and Tina would spend our summers with their grandparents. She began an early education degree at NMSU but was unable to finish. She still has the passion for teaching young children. Before coming to join the SWREC family, Tina worked for Luna County as a court security officer. She enjoyed working with the public at the old courthouse, and the coworkers there became family. She has been with her lovely wife 21 years, and she is Tina's rock. They have a four-year-old they are truly blessed to have in their lives. Although technically a grandchild, the baby calls Tina's wife mommy, and Tina is Nini. She is their world! Tina joined the SWREC team June 2024 and loves the chance this new job allows her to spend more time with her baby. She is a welcome addition to the SWREC family.
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Camacho KristinaKristina Camacho Medicaid Clerk Send message »
Kristina Camacho was born and raised in Deming, New Mexico. She started with SWREC in 2018. She is a medicaid clerk for the organization. She hopes to pursue a degree in graphic design. Kristina is married with four boys, three of them grown and the last one in high school. In her free time, she plays women's slow pitch softball. She loves to hang out with her husband and boys while hunting and fishing, or just playing softball!
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Gonzales CrystalCrystal Gonzales Medicaid Financial Coordinator Send message »
Crystal Gonzales, a proud Deming native, joined the Southwest Regional Education Cooperative team in February 2023 as our Medicaid financial coordinator. She comes to us after working for the Deming Public School District for over 21 years. Crystal served in various positions during her tenure with DPS, including her most distinguished positions as administrative assistant for the Transportation Department and lastly as the lead equity liaison for the Equity Department. During her time in the Transportation Department, she obtained her bachelor's degree in business from Western New Mexico University. In her downtime, she enjoys time spent with her family and friends.
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Rivera AmberAmber Rivera Medicaid Specialist Send message »
Amber Rivera
Medicaid Specialist
Southwest Regional Education CooperativeAmber Rivera is a Medicaid Specialist with the Southwest Regional Education Cooperative, where she provides billing support and guidance for the Medicaid School-Based Services Program. She works closely with over 50 school districts and charter schools across New Mexico, helping them navigate the ins and outs of Medicaid billing with confidence and clarity.
Before joining the team, Amber spent nine years at Mimbres Memorial Hospital as an ER Registration and Admissions Clerk, gaining valuable experience in healthcare administration and patient services.
When she's not helping schools stay on track with billing, Amber enjoys spending quality time with her husband, kids, and grandbaby. Family means everything to her, and she brings that same warmth and care to her work every day.
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